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Verizon Won't Charge Sandy Victims for Calls and Texts During Storm

UPDATE: The story has been edited to update the number and locations of charging stations deployed by Verizon. A map showing the locations of all the statios can be found here.

As part of a larger effort to help victims of superstorm Sandy, Verizon has announced that it won't charge them for phone calls or texts.

The wireless company will remove voice and text activity incurred between October 29 and November 16, for those in certain areas of New York and New Jersey affected by Sandy, as explained in an Verizon's online FAQ.

The ending date was set to November 16 because that's when Verizon hopes "the lives of our customers impacted by storm will have returned to pre-Sandy normalcy," reads the FAQ, even though some Sandy victims will have to withstand the storm's consequences longer than that.

Verizon customers who live in the counties listed here don't need to do anything to take advantage of this special offer; they will automatically benefit from it. If you were affected by Sandy but don't live in any of those areas, you can still call customer care and request to be included.

Verizon is also helping Sandy victims by sending trucks equipped with chargers so that users in hard-hit areas can re-charge their phone batteries. As of today, there are dozens of charging stations across the northeast. People — not only Verizon customers — can also make free calls and charge their phones in any open Verizon store.

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